Kiddie Lit

Abstract

Since they’re “only writing for children,” and feel little need to observe the norms of proper speech, authors such as Lewis Carroll and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) have a license to create wacky neologisms that their young readers like and continue to use once they grow up. Authors of books for children may not have expected their coinages to appear in dictionaries, but many have, including wimp, goop, nerd, grinch, and snark. One reason children’s authors have contributed so many words to the adult lexicon is that they have a keen awareness of the fun-hunger that characterizes readers of all ages. Words and phrases coined by Geisel / Seuss continually show up in adult discourse, including court decisions. A scholarly analysis of Dr. Seuss’s imaginative vocabulary concluded that its appeal lay not in his coined words’ usefulness but in their zaniness.